Stretchers are used for evacuating wounded or ill persons to a safe area or to an ambulance, and then to hospital if needed. It has long been clear that a stretcher needs to be lightweight, strong, and foldable, as well as very quickly and easily erectable. To meet this need, stretchers having multiple fold lines have been developed. Such stretchers are readily transported in the folded state, and are sufficiently compact to allow a medic or any rescue crewmember to carry a folded stretcher by hand or on the back.
In U.S. Pat. No. 4,799,274 Dommerud discloses a stretcher described as foldable. However only the width dimension can be reduced, and after “folding” the device remains about 2 meters long.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,283,919 discloses a stretcher which can be folded for storage along one central axis. The design described has too many features to be sufficiently lightweight for convenient carrying by one person, and the width cannot be reduced by folding.
U.S. Patent Application No. 2004/0010852 discloses a tactical stretcher used to transport accident victims, in particular, to stretcher type devices used to transport victims who have been exposed to hazardous materials is disclosed. The tactical stretcher comprises a foldable tubular frame having spreader assemblies attached thereto for securing the stretcher in a folded or unfolded position, the folded position having reduced width.